Method and device for manufacturing organic el light-emitting panel

Abstract

There are executed a coating or attaching process for coating or attaching a grease-like or gel-like material onto a surface of a sealing substrate on a sealed space side and a drying process for drying the grease-like or gel-like material coated or attached onto the sealing substrate. Then, there is executed a laminating process of sealing the peripheral edge portion between the sealing substrate and the element formation substrate by a sealing agent such as an adhesive in such a state that the surface of the sealing substrate onto which the grease-like or gel-like material is coated or attached and the surface of the element formation substrate on which an organic EL element is formed are opposed to each other.

1 . A method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel, in which an organic EL element formed on an element formation substrate is sealed so as to provide a sealed space between the element formation substrate and a sealing substrate facing the element formation substrate, and a grease-like or gel-like material is filled in the sealed space between the element formation substrate and the sealing substrate, comprising:
 a coating or attaching step of coating or attaching the grease-like or gel-like material onto a surface of the sealing substrate; and   a laminating step of sealing the peripheral edge portion between the sealing substrate and the element formation substrate by a sealing agent in such a state that the surface of the sealing substrate onto which the grease-like or gel-like material is coated or attached and the surface of the element formation substrate on which the organic EL element is formed are opposed to each other.   
     
     
         2 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising after the coating or attaching step, a drying step of drying the grease-like or gel-like material coated onto the sealing substrate, wherein the laminating step is executed after the drying step. 
     
     
         3 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the drying step is executed in a range of temperature of 100° C. to 250° C. 
     
     
         4 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising after the coating or attaching step or the drying step, a sealing substrate cleaning step of dry cleaning a sealing portion of the sealing substrate to which the sealing agent is applied and a sealing agent applying or attaching step of applying or attaching the sealing agent to the sealing portion of the sealing substrate after the cleaning step, wherein the laminating step is executed using the sealing agent applied or attached in the sealing agent applying or attaching step. 
     
     
         5 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein normal-pressure plasma cleaning is used in the dry cleaning. 
     
     
         6 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising, before the laminating step, a decompression step of discharging a gas in a chamber in which the sealing substrate and the element formation substrate are accommodated, wherein under decompression, there is executed the laminating step of adhering the surface of the sealing substrate, onto which a grease or a gel agent is coated or attached, to the surface of the element formation substrate on which the organic EL element is formed. 
     
     
         7 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the decompression state in the laminating step is 1 Pa to 50000 Pa, and further comprising a sealing agent hardening step of hardening the sealing agent while maintaining the pressure in a sealed space after the pressure is returned to atmospheric pressure. 
     
     
         8 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein a UV curable resin is used as the sealing agent, and the UV curable resin is hardened by using UV light while maintaining the laminating state, attributable to a pressure difference between atmospheric pressure and a pressure in the sealed space, in the laminating step. 
     
     
         9 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein an inorganic frit agent is used as the sealing agent, and the glass paste is heated and fusion bonded by laser irradiation while maintaining the laminating state in the laminating step. 
     
     
         10 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the grease-like or gel-like material contains synthetic zeolite as a moisture absorbent, and when a sealing substrate formed into a plate shape is used, the synthetic zeolite is contained in the grease-like or gel-like material in a weight ratio of 10 to 80%, and the thickness of a grease layer or a gel layer containing the moisture absorbent is set to a range of 10 to 100 μm. 
     
     
         11 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the grease-like or gel-like material contains synthetic zeolite as a moisture absorbent, and when a sealing substrate with a recessed cross-sectional surface, in which a recess is provided in the central portion so that the peripheral edge portion is in contact with the element formation substrate side, is used, the synthetic zeolite is contained in the grease-like or gel-like material in a weight ratio of 10 to 80%, the amount of the grease-like or gel-like material containing a moisture absorbent is set so that the grease-like or gel-like material is filled in the recess of the sealing substrate to adhere to the organic EL element, and the thickness of a grease layer or a gel layer containing the moisture absorbent is set to a range of 10 to 500 μm. 
     
     
         12 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein in the laminating step of adhering the element formation substrate and the sealing substrate, at least one of the element formation substrate and the sealing substrate adheres to a film-like sheet disposed in a lamination stage, whereby the organic EL light-emitting panel is fixed and positioned. 
     
     
         13 . The method for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein a sealing agent in a peripheral portion of the organic EL panel is hardened in such a state that a side where the film-like sheet for fixing and positioning the organic EL panel and the organic EL panel are in contact with each other is in a decompression state of 1 Pa to 50000 Pa, and a side where the film-like sheet and the organic EL panel are not in contact with each other is in an atmospheric pressure state. 
     
     
         14 . A device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel, in which an organic EL element formed on an element formation substrate is sealed so as to provide a sealed space between the element formation substrate and a sealing substrate facing the element formation substrate, and a grease-like or gel-like material is filled in the sealed space between the element formation substrate and the sealing substrate, comprising:
 a coating or attaching stage in which the grease-like or gel-like material is coated or attached onto a surface of the sealing substrate; and   a lamination stage in which the peripheral edge portion between the sealing substrate and the element formation substrate is sealed by a sealing agent in such a state that the surface of the sealing substrate onto which the grease-like or gel-like material is coated or attached and the surface of the element formation substrate on which the organic EL element is formed are opposed to each other.   
     
     
         15 . The device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 14 , further comprising a heating and drying stage in which the grease-like or gel-like material coated or attached on the surface of the sealing substrate in the coating or attaching stage is heated and dried, and feeding means for feeding the sealing substrate to the lamination stage after the heating and drying processing in the heating and drying stage. 
     
     
         16 . The device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 15 , further comprising a cleaning and sealing-agent-application or attachment stage in which a sealing portion of the sealing substrate processed in the heating and drying stage is dry cleaned, and a sealing agent is applied or attached to the dry cleaned position, wherein the sealing substrate processed in the cleaning and sealing-agent-application or attachment stage is fed to the lamination state by the feeding means. 
     
     
         17 . The device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein dry cleaning means for dry cleaning the sealing portion of the sealing substrate uses normal-pressure plasma cleaning means. 
     
     
         18 . The device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the lamination stage comprises laminating means, which adheres the surface of the sealing substrate, onto which the grease or the gel agent is coated or attached, to the side of the organic EL element on the element formation substrate at a predetermined lamination pressure. 
     
     
         19 . The device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the lamination stage comprises laminating means, which adheres the surface of the sealing substrate, onto which the grease or the gel agent is coated or attached, to the organic EL element side on the element formation substrate at a predetermined lamination pressure under decompression. 
     
     
         20 . The device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein a chamber constituting the lamination stage has a pressure regulating function of decompressing the inside of the chamber and returning the decompression state to atmospheric pressure, and even when a lamination pressure in the lamination stage is released by a pressure difference between a sealed decompression space between the sealing substrate and the element formation substrate when the inside of the chamber is in the decompression state and the space when the decompression state in the chamber is returned to the atmospheric pressure, the adhesion and the positional relationship between the sealing substrate and the element formation substrate are maintained. 
     
     
         21 . The device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 20 , further comprising a sealing agent hardening stage in which the sealing agent is hardened in such a state that the adhesion and the positional relationship between the element formation substrate and the sealing substrate are maintained. 
     
     
         22 . The device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein in the laminating means for adhering the element formation substrate and the sealing substrate in the lamination stage, at least one of the element formation substrate and the sealing substrate is adhered to the film-like sheet disposed in the lamination stage, whereby the organic EL light-emitting panel is fixed and positioned. 
     
     
         23 . The device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 22 , further comprising a sealing agent hardening stage in which a sealing agent in a peripheral portion of the organic EL panel is hardened in such a state that a side where the film-like sheet for fixing and positioning the organic EL panel and the organic EL panel are in contact with each other is in a decompression state of 1 Pa to 50000 Pa, and a side where the film-like sheet and the organic EL panel are not in contact with each other is in an atmospheric pressure state. 
     
     
         24 . The device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the sealing agent hardening stage comprises UV irradiation means which hardens UV curable resin as a sealing agent. 
     
     
         25 . The device for manufacturing an organic EL light-emitting panel as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the sealing agent hardening stage comprises laser irradiation means which heats and fusion bonds an inorganic frit agent as a sealing agent.